What does the demon Baal look like?

Demon Baal gained fame through medieval grimoires. There he occupies a place of honor among the many-sided congregation of infernal essences. In the first part of the "Lesser Key of Solomon", Goetia, Baal is led by an impressive list of seventy-two demons. According to her, he is a powerful king, ruling in the East. At the disposal of Baal are at least 66 legions of hellish spirits. And in Johann Weier's work "On the deceptions of demons" he is mentioned as minister of the underworld, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of Hell and Chief Cross of the Order of the Fly.

The exterior of Baal

As the demon Baal looks, it became known also thanks to grimoires. In "Goetia", as in the book of I. Weyer "Pseudo monarchy of demons", he appears an unprecedented three-headed creature. Its body resembles a formless mass, from which many spider legs stick out. The body of Baal is crowned by a human head of impressive size with a royal crown. The demon's face, judging by the image in the illustration, is dried and lean, with a huge long nose and gloomy eyes. From his body, besides the human, there are two huge heads: to the right - a frog, and to the left - a cat's. He can appear and not in such a disgusting appearance. Man, cat, and toad are typical creatures in which the demon Baal reincarnates.

Summon and Expel the Demon Baal

Johann Weier noted in one of his books that the demon Baal, if desired, can make a person invisible or reward with supernatural wisdom. However, to achieve such an honor, it is necessary to meet with him personally.

A person who decided to call a demon to get these talents, wears a metal plate bearing the name "lamen" as his symbol. Thanks to him, according to "Goetia", he will receive the attention and respect of Baal. Before summoning a demon, a person is recommended to draw a protective pentagram with chalk, put candles on its beams and light them. Then read the text of the invocation of Baal. It is rumored that it is only on Saturdays that you call for it.

To get the desired talents, Baal must be released outside the protective circle. However, he is treacherous, cunning and cruel, so this step is capable of entailing a huge danger to a person. However, you can send back to hell even such a powerful entity as the demon Baal. Expulsion of the evil spirit is carried out with the help of a simple phrase from the textbook of Papus: "In the name of Adonai, through Gabriel, get Baal!"

God who became a demon

The Baal was not always a minion of the underworld. This demonic entity, now occupying significant "posts" in hell, once represented a pagan deity. In ancient times he was called Baal, Balu or Bel. This god was worshiped by Semitic peoples, as well as Phoenicians and Assyrians. To people he was represented in those days differently, rather than now: in the form of an old man or a bull.

His name is translated from obschesemitskogo language as "master" or "lord." Initially, the word "baal" was the nominal designation of the god, in which the members of the individual tribes believed. Then his people began to be timed to a certain locality. Later, even the title "Baal" appeared, which was given to the princes and town governors. This word came in the name of the famous Carthaginian commander Hannibal and the Babylonian prince Belshazzar.

The Great Deity

From the day of its appearance, Baal in different tribes and places managed to visit the god of fertility, sun, sky, war and other things. In the end, he became the Creator of the whole world and the universe. According to historians, Baal was the first global god-patron. The center of his cult was in the city of Tire, from where he also entered the kingdom of Israel. Later it spread to the territories of North Africa, modern Europe and Scandinavia, as well as the British Isles. By the power of Baal can be compared with the Greek god Zeus and the Egyptian Seth.

Cheesy rituals

The demon, even in his time as a great deity, was characterized by an unreasonable cruelty and demanded from the man horrific deeds. To him in a sacrifice people brought to themselves similar, in particular, children. In honor of Baal, insane orgies rolled up, and the priests, in a state of ecstasy, engaged in self-mutilation.

Once in Carthage, during the siege of the city by Greek troops, the inhabitants committed the most ambitious act of sacrifice to their deity. Thus, they hoped to get rid of the enemy. The invasion of the Greeks, from the point of view of the Carthaginians, was a direct consequence of the fact that they did not want to give their children to Baal-Hammon, as the deity was called in those places. Instead, the inhabitants of the city sacrificed the offspring of strangers. Carthaginians, realizing their "guilt", burned more than two hundred children. And three hundred inhabitants of the city voluntarily sacrificed themselves, hoping for the help that God could give, and now the demon Baal. A photo of the bas-relief depicting the rite is presented below.

Persecution of idolaters

The acts of human sacrifice were also performed by the inhabitants of the kingdom of Israel. With the idolaters who killed their children in the name of Baal, the prophets Jeremiah and Elijah fought. It was decided to execute the worshipers of the pagan deity. All of them were killed during the religious revolution of the prophet Elijah. The destruction of the pagans led to the weakening of the cult of Baal.

Active resistance to the blood god was provided by early Christian prophets. The struggle against him ended in the complete victory of the Abrahamic religions, and the image of the deity was severely criticized. So the demon Baal appeared. In Christianity he visited, according to various sources, both the Duke of Hell and the Devil himself.

Associations with Beelzebub

Baal is often identified with Beelzebub. In Christianity, he is considered a demon and is mentioned in the Gospel, which says that the so-called Jesus Pharisees and scribes. They believed that Christ cast out demons, using the power of Beelzebub.

The name of this creature is the translator and commentator of the Bible E. Jerome identified with the Baal Zebub or "Lord of the Flies" mentioned in the Old Testament. He was still worshiped by the Philistines, who dwelt in the coastal part of the kingdom of Israel in the city of Ekron. Beelzebub is usually depicted as a huge insect, like a fly.

His name could also have come from the word Zabulus, which was used by Jews in those times. So they called Satan. Proceeding from this, the name "Beelzebub" (Baal-Zebub) means "Baal-devil".

In ancient times, the verb zabal also existed. In rabbinical literature, it is used in the sense of "exporting impurities", so the name "Beelzebub" can be interpreted as "the master of filth."

Finally

Such transformations survived the demon Baal in the whole history of its existence. He visited both the deity and the Devil himself. And only medieval grinoirs, ordering the infernal hierarchy, were able to determine the final place of Baal in the universe.